The Greatest Game
by TinyNuggins
Summary: It's been 10 years since the Battle of Hogwarts, and a new generation is about to enter the world of Professional Quidditch. (Partial AU) Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo
1. T h e H e a t

Disclaimer: I own nothing but original characters.

Chapter 1

The Heat

"Oh, what a marvelous hit by Hughes!" The crack of the bludger as it found its mark reverberated throughout the pitch, causing the students and professors in attendance to groan. The Ravenclaw Chaser dropped the Quaffle and fell from his broom, falling the twenty-or-so feet to the ground. Iwan Hughes, the Hufflepuff Beater responsible, was already focusing on his next target: the Ravenclaw Seeker, Gwendoline Pierce.

Iwan was in his last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This was an important match for him, as it was his last match as Captain of the House team and his last chance to impress a few scouts who had decided to attend the games over the course of the school year. He wasn't the only one, of course. He knew Pierce was looking for her shot at the Professional League as well, and it was known among the school that she had impressed Gwenog Jones, retired player, and now manager, for the Holyhead Harpies. He had heard nothing from the scouts before concerning himself however, and very much wanted to make an impression on those attending this game. He wanted to show them that he was a true Beater and could make it in the Professional League.

Soon, Iwan found the Bludger. It was speeding towards him at a slight angle. He had Pierce in his sights. She had spotted the Golden Snitch and had a commanding lead on Gary Fowler, Hufflepuff's 3rd year Reserve Seeker. Their 1st String Seeker had been incapacitated in their match against Gryffindor. She still couldn't move too quick without getting dizzy.

Iwan pulled his bat back, taking aim. He took a deep breath and swung, hearing the crack as his bat connected with the Bludger. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. This was it, the defining moment of the season. Who took home to Quidditch Cup would be decided by who caught this Snitch. Pierce's arm was outstretched, just inches away from her target.

CRACK! Iwan's Bludger found its mark, connecting solidly with Pierce's ribs, knocking her off-course. The Hufflepuffs in the stands erupted into cheers as Fowler caught up to the Snitch. He was just a few feet behind, when Iwan noticed his bludger being returned by Will Turner, one of Ravenclaw's Beaters. He pointed his broom, a second-hand Thunderbolt III, and shot off to intercept. It would be difficult. He'd have to be careful not to run into Fowler, the poor kid wasn't focused on his surroundings.

As Iwan approached at top speed, he quickly decided on something reckless and stupid, which would surely piss off Mary, his best friend, and his squib parents, both sitting in the stands with the professors and scouts. He quickly pushed himself off his broom, launching himself over Fowler and above the bludger, which he quickly deflected away from his Seeker, and landed again, if just barely, on his Thunderbolt.

"What a move by Huhges! Have you ever seen a Beater do something that daring?!" Professor Devlin, the now official announcer of all Hogwarts Quidditch matches (as decreed by Headmistress McGonagall herself) shouted to the stadium as the students erupted into cheers and boos as Fowler finally snatched the Snitch. "And Hufflepuff wins the House Cup for the third year in a row! I know Hufflepuff will be sad to see Iwan Jones graduating as he has led this team on an impressive three year winning streak! I hope there are some scouts in the stands taking notice of this most impressive lad!"

Iwan flew down to the pitch and shook hands with McGonagall as she, somewhat begrudgingly, handed the Quidditch House Cup to Iwan for the third time. He gathered all the 7th Year team members: Mary O'Connel, Richard Bishop, and the injured Seeker Lillian Medley and handed the cup to them. He did not miss the quick glare Mary shot him for his reckless move. He knew he'd be in for an earful later. But for now, they enjoyed the taste of sweet victory. The main issue next was to get the contraband drinks to the Hufflepuff Common Room for the victory celebration that was sure to follow that night.

Soon, Iwan was wrapped up into a monstrous hug from behind. "That was the most dangerous and reckless thing you have _ever_ done! How could you scare me like that!"

"Mum!" Iwan whined. "It turned out all right didn't it? I didn't die or anything!"

Rosemary Hughes, Iwan's adoptive mother, was generally a kindhearted, patient and soft-spoken woman. But sometimes, especially when Iwan had done something truly reckless, like the time when he tried to play with a bear cup while on vacation in the States, she could truly terrify him.

"Young man," she scolded, complete with withering glare. "I don't care how it turned out, I care that you don't get it into your thick skull that you could seriously hurt yourself, or worse, if you don't think things through and be a little more careful! You're lucky I don't ground you for this."

"Yes, mum. Sorry, mum." Iwan had learned that it was always best to go along with his mother's scolding than to defend himself. Last time he tried to defend his actions, another incident involving an apparently agitated wolverine, he ended up being forced to clear his mother's formidable garden of any and all weeds, and help his father, Geoffrey, build a new fence around their large acreage, by hand. It was a less than pleasant summer that year.

"We love you child, I just don't want you to die or maim yourself before your thirty!" His mother's face softened as she added "and congratulations on another wonderful match. Your father and I always love watching you play."

"Thanks, mum." Iwan smiled at his parents. His adoptive father stepped forward to wrap his son in a congratulatory hug now that the scolding was over and done.

"Hell of a game, son. Hell of a game!"

"Thanks, dad."

"Now, go back to your friends! We'll see you in a few weeks when term ends. We love you, Iwan." With their farewells, Iwan turned back to his teammates and noticed there was someone new on the pitch. A woman in a brown and beige dress suit. She wore a small pin on her left lapel in the shape of an owl and carried a clipboard. She approached Iwan and the rest of the Hufflepuff team.

"Mr. Hughes," the woman said loudly. The rest of the team quieted down and looked at the woman. "May we speak in private?" Iwan agreed and the two walked away from the team so as not to be overheard.

"My name is Susan, I'm hear representing the Oxford Owls. We've been watching you this season, and occasionally over the last few years. You're an impressive player. We'd like to extend an offer for a private trial."

The silence hung in the air for a few moments before Susan, awkwardly reached out and closed Iwan's open jaw. It was a few more awkward moments before Iwan gathered the words to reply. "A private trial? Yes! Absolutely!"

Susan gave a nice, professional smile, before she handed Iwan a small business card. "Good," she said. "On here you will find all the information you need: date, time, and place of meeting. The owner will want to meet you at the Raven and Lily pub before taking you to the practice pitch himself. We look forward to seeing you there. Good day, Mr. Hughes." With that, the woman turned and walked away. Iwan was left staring at the small card, so engulfed that he didn't even notice the rest of the House team had migrated over to his position and were now looking over his shoulder at the card as well.

"Well done, Iwan!" Mary said, shaking him from his trance. He had actually impressed a scout enough for a trial! He turned and wrapped Mary in a large hug and planted a surprisingly large kiss right on her lips. After realizing what he just did, they both burst out laughing. There was a time, just a few years ago, when Iwan would've done anything for that casual of a kiss between them, but in a far more romantic light. The two had even tried dating in 5th year. Things had progressed rather quickly between the two before they realized that it was not working out. Surprisingly the split had never damaged their friendship, and they had remained the best of friends and closest confidants.

Soon, though, Iwan felt the sweat he had accrued during the match and realized, that as team Captain, this was his last chance to dismiss his team before graduating. "All right, listen up you lazy layabouts! That was a hell of a game. You've done me proud this season. Now hit the showers! The party starts right after dinner! Dismissed!" The team cheered and retired to the locker room and discarded their sweat-drenched uniforms for the last time that school year and showered off before returning to the castle for a filling, post-match meal.


	2. G r e a t N i g h t

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than original characters.

A/N: I didn't put one before the first chapter. Oops. Just to explain a bit, this is a slightly alternate universe. Harry was briefly an auror before leaving for Quidditch. The rest of the deviations you'll learn within the story. I didn't want to write just a new story with the original characters fulfilling different roles. I felt like I would have more freedom with original characters. Besides, there's an amazing sandbox to play in, why just stick with the few characters we know, right? Anyways, we'll see where this goes. Reviews/criticisms/flames (if you really want to be "that guy") are all welcome. Much love,

Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit

Chapter 2

Great Night

The Hufflepuff Common Room was abuzz with commotion from partying students celebrating the end to an unprecedented three year winning streak. Someone had brought in a few cases of Finnegan's Varsity Ale and Thomas' Galaxy Malt Whisky. The two brands from former Hogwarts students had taken over the Wizarding community of the United Kingdom and Ireland with Finnegan's Varsity Ale becoming a standard in many magical and muggle pubs and Thomas' Galaxy Malt Whisky with its hint of honey and vanilla being a good alternative to the intense burn of Firewhisky.

Iwan enjoyed both beverages, though usually chose whisky for parties, as it was easier to nurse. He didn't have an eversion to being intoxicated or anything, he just didn't want to make any decisions he'd regret. He had learned that lesson the hard way after they won the Quidditch Cup last year when he woke up in a dress clutching Anora's cat, Professor Buttons, whom he is allergic to. It made for a most unpleasant and embarrassing day in the Hospital Wing getting the swelling in his throat and sinuses to go down.

Music blared from the speakers of an enchanted wireless. It was a blend of muggle and magical artists. The station was known for its good blend of musical genres that made it perfect for parties such as this. More than one couple was locked in passion, and many others had already sneaked out for more amorous activities. After the Black Cauldrons newest hit "Kill it with Fire" finished its last, somewhat atonal chord, a much more upbeat muggle tune began. This was more Iwan's speed. He always enjoyed muggle music more, there was just something about it that spoke to him more than wizard musicians ever could.

 _Well he doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young._

Iwan was sitting near the fireplace with Mary on his left and his other best friends Gareth MacTir and Anora Lewis. "Good song," Iwan said, more to himself than his friends. Mary grunted in agreement before belting out the words, horribly out of tune. Iwan noticed he was the only one laughing. He looked over at his other two friends, who would normally crack up or at least relentlessly tease Mary for her horrid singing, to find them otherwise engaged.

Gareth and Anora were currently locked in a rather passionate kiss, as per usual for those two during parties. Ever since they hooked up at Hufflepuff's first victory celebration at the beginning of 5th Year, they had managed to hook up at just about every party since. Though they both deny any deeper feelings for each other, claiming it to be an "accident" every time. By this point it was almost tradition for the two to hook up, and then vehemently deny any feelings for each.

Iwan and Mary knew better, though they didn't say anything out of respect for their friends and the belief the two would figure it out eventually. As Gareth and Anora drunkenly left the Common Room, Iwan laughed while Mary stopped singing. "Where are Gareth and Anora?" she asked.

"Where do you think?"

"Well, it was only a matter of time before they left to find a broom cupboard somewhere," she said before sighing. "Those two better get their shit together soon, it's driving me mad," Mary said after taking a sip from her pint.

"They will," Iwan said with confidence. "They'll fight it to bitter end, but they will eventually get there. You can't deny that kind of attraction forever."

"Too true. Now, let's focus on you, oh victorious Captain." Mary began scanning the room. She had told him of her plan to get him laid on the eve after their last victory, and had attempted the "favor" as she called it, many times before. Iwan had, thus far, managed to stave off the "favor," her word, thus far, having nothing more than a passing interest in the girls at school. He knew it was pointless tonight though as his protestations fell on deaf ears.

He didn't know what made Mary so interested in his love life. Sure, they were best friends and would always have an interest in each other's personal affairs, but sometimes, Mary's insistence on finding someone for Iwan to "take a tumble with," as she often put it, was borderline obsessive. Maybe she just wanted to live vicariously through him? Iwan wasn't sure how that made him feel, as she was perfectly capable of finding someone to tumble with herself if she so wished. But Iwan was brought out of this pondering by Mary's excited statement.

"Ooh, what about Louisa? She's pretty, she's in our year and I know she's wanted to bed you for a while. Won't shut up about it actually." Before Iwan could protest again, Mary was off to talk to Louisa Allen.

"Oh damn, there's no getting out of this is there?" Iwan asked no one in particular. He could see Mary talking to Louisa and the two casting glances in his direction. He managed a weak and awkward smile. Soon Louisa was heading his direction with Mary making faces at him behind her back, encouraging him to take it out of the Common Room.

"Hi Iwan," Louisa said quietly. She was a shy girl, didn't talk much to people she didn't know very well. Iwan was the same way. After a few, very awkward attempts at small talk, Mary popped up between them.

"Oh my God! Would you two just take it to an empty classroom and shag already! I can't bloody stand all this awkward 'almost talking but not really' shit!" This earned Mary a glare from Iwan, which had little to no effect on her as she then roughly grabbed them both by their jackets and shoved them out the door into the hallway.

Iwan helped Louisa up off the ground and laughed nervously. "I guess the cat's out of the bag isn't it?" she asked.

"What cat?"

"The cat of me having a huge crush on you since 4th Year." Louisa then pulled a flask out of her jacket pocket, unscrewed the top, and brought it to her lips. "Well," she said, more to herself than Iwan. "Here goes nothing." She then tipped the contents into her mouth and guzzled down the contents. She coughed after finishing and grabbed Iwan by the hand. "Come along now. I'm getting what I've wanted for four years now: I'm taking that magnificent broom for a ride!"

Iwan didn't know if it was the whisky he'd had or if he were just stunned by the bravado displayed by the normally quiet girl, but he let himself follow her down to an empty storage room and watched as she took her wand out and muttered some spells to lock the door and give them some privacy. The next thing Iwan knew, she was straddling him on top of an old couch and removing his clothes. Once his shirt came off, she took a long look at his toned chest. "I thought Mary was lying about the tattoo!" With that, Louisa rejoined her lips with Iwan's and they fell over, entwined.

ooo~OOO~ooo

Iwan's back ached when he woke up in the morning. The old couch he had slept on with Louisa was lumpy and hard, with a particularly sharp point jabbed right into his spine. Iwan soon realized he was still bereft of his clothes from the previous night. Feeling for his glasses, he put those on first so he could locate the rest of his clothing. He soon found his flannel shirt, member's only jacket and pants. Iwan quickly dressed while checking his watch for the time. 7:05 AM. And Louisa was nowhere to be seen. Had she already left?

Iwan looked around the storage room and noticed that Louisa was nowhere to be seen. It was a cramped space, so that was not surprising in the least, but it made him wonder: when did she slip out? Obviously it was after he fell asleep; how long after, though, that was the question? Or did she just wake up earlier than he did? That was a little harder to imagine as, judging by her breath and mannerisms last night, she was not fully sober. Did she think that Iwan had taken advantage of her? He sure hoped not. That was not his intention, at least.

Slipping on his boots, Iwan quickly checked the hallway for teachers and made his way back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Sleeping students littered the Common Room floor as Iwan attempted to silently step around them to return to his dorm for a soothing shower and change of clothes before heading to breakfast. He had not drank quite enough last night to end up completely hammered, as many of the sleeping bodies in the Common Room had, no doubt, so he had no hangover to speak of. Something he knew he wouldn't be able to say about Mary, Gareth or Anora when they finally came to.

Quietly entering the washroom so as not to wake the few people who had returned to the dorm before passing out, Iwan started the shower, letting the water warm up while he undressed. Before hopping into the stream of steaming water, Iwan caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and noticed the tattoo that Louisa pointed out. It was a watercolor tattoo with vibrant pinks, blues and greens, filled with geometric triangles and squares with the face of a badger superimposed in the color. Mary had a matching one.

Looking at it made Iwan think back to all the times he and Mary had proven their friendship over the years. The heartaches they shared, the secrets exchanged, the pranks pulled. The time Mary had gotten kicked out by her parents and she had travelled all the way to his family's small farm near the village of Lightlee in Yorkshire, and his family took her in for the summer. Iwan remembered all the birthdays they celebrated together, always at school, but always special.

He remembered the night he turned 18, back in September, when he and Mary were celebrating in Hogsmeade. Mary's cousin Harriett, a tattoo artist in Diagon Alley, had come out to give him and Mary the matching set. Mary, being a week older than Iwan had graciously waited until they could get them together, as their sign of friendship and devotion. Iwan liked it. His parents still didn't know about it. Not that they would mind, or anything, they had just wanted him to graduate first.

Iwan shook himself from his memories and jumped into the shower, scrubbing the leftover sweat and other bodily odors that come from such relations. He had always enjoyed a nice, long shower in the morning. It was a good way to wake up for the day and scrub what sleep was left in his eyes away. He always had a morning ritual, ever since he started Hogwarts, of waking up early, taking a warm shower and preparing himself mentally for the day. It was simple, but Iwan found that it always made his days just a tiny bit better than they would otherwise be, if he didn't.

After he finished, feeling clean and refreshed for the lazy day ahead before his week of nonstop studying for the N.E.W.T. exams began. He picked out a fresh shirt and clean jacket, as well a pair of jeans that didn't smell too terribly and dressed before making his long, messy brown hair behave and putting on his glasses before making his way to the Great Hall for a large, and much desired breakfast.


	3. N o E x c u s e s

Disclaimer: I own nothing but original characters.

A/N: Getting up as much of this as I can. I know no one's reading, but who really cares. These author's notes are here "just in case." Again, reviews/criticisms/flames (if you really want to be "that guy) are always welcome. But word of warning: flames will be met with deadpan sarcasm and pure snark. Much love,

Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est

(Brownie points go to anyone who decides to figure out the latin phrases)

Chapter 3

No Excuses

Iwan was surprised to see Mary already in the Great Hall enjoying breakfast. As he quickly scanned the Hufflepuff table, he noticed that Louisa was still missing. Figuring she had just returned to her dorm to sleep off the night's activities, Iwan pushed it out of his mind for the moment, instead joining his best friend at the table.

"Morning, you lucky bastard," Mary greeted him cheekily.

Iwan rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up. You're the one that set it up, not me." Iwan proceeded to fill his plate with bacon, eggs, sausage and other large helpings to sate his large appetite.

"True. I'm just jealous I didn't get to do the same with Taylor Clarke." She had a wistful look on her face as she thought about her long time crush. Unfortunately Clarke never seemed to want anything more than friendship from Mary. "Though I did let Taylor convince me to try a new haircut." Mary then turned her head to show the entire left side shaved. "What do you think?"

Iwan looked at it thoughtfully. In truth, he thought she pulled the unconventional look off quite well, but he always enjoyed torturing his friend.

"Oh, come off it, Iwan! I know you like it!"

Iwan laughed. "You're right. I do. It suits you quite well, actually."

"Thank you, oh dearest of friends." After a moment's pause, Mary looked around the table, scanning it for something or somebody. "Say, where's Louisa? I thought after last night she would be clinging to you as tight as possible."

"Funniest thing, actually," Iwan said. "She was gone before I woke up this morning."

Mary looked surprised, and a little troubled by the revelation. "Really? I thought she'd be shouting it to the highest tower that she finally got to shag with you. She certainly talked about how much she wanted to in the dorm, that's for sure."

"Maybe it was just a one night stand?" Iwan offered. "I'm not exactly looking for a relationship right now anyways. I wouldn't want to lead the poor girl on if she thought we were, y'know, together."

Mary quieted after that and let the subject drop. As the morning post came fluttering into the Great Hall, no less than three owls stopped by Iwan, and two stopped by Mary. Four of the owls (two that stopped by Iwan, and the two that stopped by Mary) carried very official-looking letters, while the fifth was a school owl, by the looks of it, and carried only a small note.

"Oh my God!" Mary shouted.

"What?" Iwan asked excitedly. Judging by the look of Mary's face, she had received something quite exciting.

"I've been asked to try out for the Pride of Portree and Puddlemere United! I could go professional too, Iwan!"

Iwan dropped the letters, which he had not yet opened, to embrace Mary while congratulating her, profusely. "That's excellent, Mary! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Iwan. Now what do you have there? One looks like my Puddlemere letter."

It was indeed a letter from Puddlemere United, asking him to try out for the team as well. The other official letter was from Caerphilly, also asking for a try out. Mary gave him congratulations as Iwan unfolded the small not.

Mr. Hughes,

If you would be so kind as to stop by my office at your earliest convenience, it would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Prof. M McGonagall

Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

P.S. I would bring Ms. O'Connel along, if at all possible. The password is "Quidditch"

Iwan showed Mary the note. She nodded and they agreed to go as soon as breakfast ended. As they got up to leave, they saw the embarrassingly red-faced Gareth and Anora enter the Great Hall. Iwan and Mary shared a knowing smile as they approached the "not couple."

"So how was last night, you two?" Mary teased. She answered with grunts and glares from their two friends.

"I'm guessing this means you two aren't married anytime soon?" Iwan asked with a deadpan expression. Gareth roughly told Iwan to "piss off!"

"Oh come off it, Gareth, you know we're only joking. No need to get so defensive."

"You'd be defensive too, if you were the moron that forgot the contraception charm and still did it five times before passing out." Anora was obviously less than pleased with how last night went.

"Don't blame it all on me, you didn't remember to cast it either!"

"I know! I'm mad at both of us! You'd better not have gotten me pregnant, bastard."

"I think we'd best get going to McGonagall's office," Mary said to Iwan. "I don't have the patience to deal with those two right now."

"Too true," Iwan replied, and the two friends were off. They soon arrived at the gargoyles guarding the stairway up to the headmistress' office. "Quidditch," Iwan told the gargoyle. Soon, he and Mary were ascending the winding staircase to McGonagall's office.

As they entered, Iwan noticed, the office hadn't really changed any over the years. There were shelves filled with books and a pictures of some of her favorite former students, such as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. There was also the odd item of professional Quidditch paraphernalia from various teams (Puddlemere, the Cannons, Holyhead). The only addition seemed to be multiple items from the relatively new Oxford Owls, the team whose scout had approached Iwan the previous day.

"Please, take a seat you two." McGonagall spoke from behind her rather tidy desk without looking up from a letter she was reading. Iwan and Mary exchanged a look and each took a seat while they waited for the Headmistress to address them again. After a few moments, McGonagall stuffed the letter into a drawer and looked at the two students in front of her.

"There's no need to sweat, Hughes, you're not in any trouble," she said in her Scottish brogue. "This time," she added. It was true that Iwan had been in this office a few times before for a few harmless pranks, courtesy of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The last one had almost cost him his captaincy of the House team. Poor Morgan Bilson couldn't look at a rabbit without thinking of that night again. In hindsight, the Caerbannog Cream probably wasn't the best joke item to bring into a school and feed to a 1st Year's pet rabbit.

"I've asked you here to discuss your futures. Particularly, your futures in Quidditch. As you know, the sport has a special place in my heart, and while it has pained me to an extent to see your House trounce my old House these past three years, I am so bitter as to not invest in your futures in the sport, as you are both clearly talented players.

"I know you have both received offers for trials for a few teams this morning, and more are sure to arrive over the next few weeks. I have no doubt that both of you are good enough to make any team you wish, but I want to pose a question to the both of you." With that she gave the students a look of expectancy, wanting to make sure they were ready for it.

"Yes, professor," Mary said. "What question is that?"

McGonagall gave the slightest hint of a smirk before posing her question. "Do you want to join any team that will have you, or join a team that cares for each other? A team that sees the sport as a passion, not just a ticket to fame or money?"

"Of course we don't care about the fame or money, professor," Iwan answered almost immediately. "We both love the sport and want to find a team where we fit in. A team that loves it just as much as we do."

"Good," McGonagall said with one of her rare smiles. "Then, and don't take this as professional advice, or me telling you which team to join, but I urge you to consider Oxford as a serious candidate. They're new, but they're owned by an old favorite of mine, and he only wants players who care about the sport the way he does."

Iwan thought about it. He knew the Owls didn't do well in the league standings, usually faring just better than the Cannons (if only just). But McGonagall wouldn't suggest them without good reason. Iwan also realized that he and Mary weren't the only players in the school who had the chance to go professional, and wondered about Pierce. "What about Pierce. professor?"

McGonagall looked a tad confused by Iwan's question. "What about her, Hughes?"

"I thought there were scouts there eyeing her as well. Are urging her to consider the Owls too?"

McGonagall sighed, and removed her spectacles, cleaning them before giving Iwan a reply. "Miss Pierce did have a few scouts with their eyes on her that game yes. After your hit though, many withdrew offers to her, others changed their offers from an automatic spot on the team to a chance for a trial. I did urge her this morning in the Hospital Wing to consider the Owls, though her prospects of professional Quidditch have taken a steep drop after yesterday's match."

Iwan winced at what he had done. He didn't know his hit would have prevented, or at least greatly impeded, Pierce's chance at going professional. Sure, she was an unpleasant, vain and selfish girl, but she didn't deserve to have her dreams crushed.

"Don't blame yourself, Hughes," McGonagall said after a moment studying the guilty look on his face. "If she wanted to make it to the professionals so badly, she wouldn't have let her hubris blind her to bludger coming straight at her.

"But, that is another matter. I hope you two will take what I've said, and think on it for a bit. It would do my heart good for two of my favorite Hufflepuffs to join my favorite team."

"Professor McGonagall," Mary said. "Are you trying to emotionally manipulate us into trying out for favorite team."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, O'Connell." As Iwan and Mary were about to close the door to McGonagall's office behind her, they heard the Headmistress add, "but yes. I am." This caused the two friends to laugh as they made their way down the stairs and back into the hall. Mary soon yawned.

"Well, I know that it's just after breakfast, but it is Sunday, and I'm going to take a nap before I have to worry about N.E.W.T.s. What about you, eh?" Mary gave Iwan a cheeky grin. "I bet after last night, you need some kip too, don't you?"

Iwan gave Mary an annoyed look. She would not leave this alone. "What?" Mary said. "I didn't get any last night, so I choose to live vicariously through your experiences. Now: details. What was it like? Was she surprisingly limber? I bet she was, wasn't she? Bit kinky maybe?"

"You know what, Mary," Iwan said, more than a little fed-up. "It was however you imagined it, okay?"

Mary pouted. "Fine. You're no fun." At this time, they had reached the barrels that mark the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room. As Iwan tapped the rhythm to gain them entrance, Mary continued. "You know, I don't get as lucky as you do. Not many people here want a girl with well-defined abs." Iwan ignored her as they entered the Common Room. "Oh come on, Iwan! Just a few small details, please? It's the least you could do after I set you two up!"

Iwan turned to see Mary's "puppy dog eyes" as she pulled out all the stops to get him to divulge the details of last night. But he was enjoying making her suffer, since it was her fault anyways. "I just don't think I'm ready, you know? I'm still processing it all myself. Check back after a while and maybe I'll let you in on it then," he said with a wry smile.

"How long?" Mary asked, the hope fading from her tone.

"At least..." Iwan scrunched his face up in thought, dragging out giving an answer for as long as he could. "Two weeks, maybe three."

"Bastard," Mary deadpanned. "I'm going to bed." With that she walked into the girls' dorm and disappeared, before promptly reappearing in the Common Room and throwing herself down on the couch. "No I'm not. Louisa's in there, reliving last night."

"What?"

"I'm not entirely sure if that's what she's doing, all I could hear were the moans before I turned around and came back out. It must have been good, whatever you did to her."


	4. Y o u K n o w I t

If there's any return readers, thanks! If not, that's ok too. This is more for me than anything. Without further ado, allons-y!

Braccae illae virides cum subucula rosea et tunica Caledonia-quam elenganter concinnatur!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but original characters.

Chapter 4

You Know It

The next few weeks went by in a blur for Iwan and Mary. Their N.E.W.T.s very much lived up to their title, and left the two friends exhausted. They had seen less and less of Gareth and Anora as well, they hoped things hadn't gotten too difficult for them. Even though they were worried about their friends, Iwan and Mary had been distracted by the influx of letters from professional teams, all asking for them to try out for their clubs. Mary had also received a letter from Oxford in that time which said they had been deliberating on it, but wanted to see Mary in action again, inviting her for a trial the day after Iwan's.

As the last night of the school fast approached, the 7th Year students gathered in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks for one last, inter-House get-together before joining the wide world of adulthood. As the graduating class of 2008 gathered, they reminisced on the years spent learning and pranking, discussed plans for the future and made promises to keep in touch.

Iwan and Mary sat in a booth with Gryffindor Eddie Vance, Head Boy Henry Brightwood from Ravenclaw, and Head Girl Wendy Tompkins from Slytherin, "Do you remember that prank you pulled 5th Year, Hughes?"

"Which one, Brightwood?"

"The one with the teapot, the pocketwatch and Professor Hoskins' toupee?"

Iwan did remember that prank. It was one of his stranger creations, and frankly, he was embarrassed by it now. "Oh, please, Brightwood, don't remind me of that one. It's far too embarrassing. I almost got expelled for it!"

"Oh come off it," Wendy Tompkins interjected. "You know even McGonagall appreciated the amount of work you put into it."

"She right," Eddie Vance agreed. "She said it was some of the most creative transfiguration work she'd seen at Hogwarts in a long time."

"When did she say that?!" Mary's disbelief was evident in her tone.

"The Prefects meeting afterward. She had to bring us all in to help clean it up."

"Damn, I didn't know it was that bad." Mary sat back in the booth, curious now as to how much planning Iwan put into that particular prank. Before the conversation could go any further down that particular rabbit hole, however, Iwan noticed someone walk through the door: Louisa Allen. He still hadn't had a chance to talk with her since that night a few weeks earlier. It was nagging him, as he wanted to define what that night actually was, as he didn't want to graduate with any unresolved issues.

Iwan quickly excused himself and dashed to Louisa, catching her before she made it to the bar. "Louisa!" he greeted.

"Oh," Louisa said, somewhat awkwardly. "Hi, Iwan. Is there something you need?"

Iwan stared at Louisa. He wasn't sure why she seemed so clueless. She slept with him, leaves before he wakes up, then avoids him for weeks, and acts like nothing ever happened when finally gets a chance to talk to her about it? "Can we talk, outside?"

Louisa looked at the bar for a moment, as if she were checking to see if there were someone she was supposed to meet there before turning back to Iwan and sighing. "Sure," she said. "Quickly though, I'm supposed to be meeting someone here."

The two stepped outside onto the dark streets of Hogsmeade, and off to the side of the entrance. "So," she said cautiously. "What did you want to talk about?"

This is where Iwan started to get a little worried, and by worried, he meant nervous. He had never really been open about sexual topics with anyone besides Mary, Gareth and Anora. Not that Louisa was his first or anything, but he never knew how to start these conversations. He could feel his cheeks start to blush. Luckily, Louisa must have noticed the signs of Iwan's anxiety and apparently caught on to what he wanted to talk about.

"Oh! You want to talk about _that_ night." Clarity rang in her voice as she picked up on Iwan's "clues," if they could really be called that. They were more like bricks with notes being thrown through a window with detailed instructions on what to do.

"Yeah," Iwan said, lamely. Even he knew he sounded like a moron.

Louisa looked, shiftily down the main road before speaking. "Here's the thing, Iwan. It was a fun night. Something I wanted to do for a long time. But that was it. It was just a bit of fun."

Iwan felt relief wash over him. "Good," he said.

"Please don't think I left because I was embarrassed, or it was bad, or anything. You were actually quite good! I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards, actually. But I promised my boyfriend I'd meet him that night, since he was feeling pretty upset that Hufflepuff had beaten them that day, and all -"

"Wait, what?!" Iwan exclaimed. "You have a boyfriend?"

Louisa looked at him with confusion. "Of course: Michael Thistlewit."

Iwan's jaw dropped. She was dating the Captain of Ravenclaw House Team. "Oh my God," she said, realization dawning on her. "You didn't know, did you?" Iwan shook his head dumbly.

"Please, whatever you do," Louisa begged. "Don't tell him. He spent the rest of the night, and the weeks since, complaining about you and the bruises you gave him from that hit. It would ruin him, if he found out we, y'know. Please don't tell him!"

Iwan nodded his head, and assured her he wouldn't tell Thistlewit about sleeping with his girlfriend, even though he had no idea. He was still trying to wrap his brain around the whole situation when Louisa leaned in and whispered "maybe we could do it again sometime, though." She then winked saucily and went into the pub. Iwan was left wondering where the hell the shy girl she was known for being had been this whole conversation.

Still very much distracted, Iwan went back inside and returned to the booth to stares from Mary, Eddie Vance, Brightwood and Tompkins. After he sat down, he grabbed his pint, and downed the rest of the ale before looking at his friends.

"What was that all about?" Mary asked, pointedly.

"I'll get the next round," Brightwood said, excusing himself. Mary still looked at Iwan, expecting a reply.

"Louisa has a boyfriend," Iwan said.

"What? No she doesn't!' Mary said in denial. She then looked over to the bar where none other that Louisa herself and her boyfriend were locked in a passionate snog. "Well, shit!" she exclaimed. "How did I miss that? And why would she go on and on about wanting you, when she has a boyfriend?!" Mary continued on most of the night, interjecting almost random babbling about her confusion with the whole situation.

"It's alright, Mary," Iwan tried comforting, a few times throughout the evening. After a while, though, Mary seemed to forget or lose interest in the topic and returned to reminiscing with the rest of the booth. Gareth and Anora were nowhere to be found that night. Just before intoxication set in, the various friend-groups of 7th Year students got up and returned to the castle for their last night in the dorms before stepping into the world of grownups.

The next morning was a rush of activity. Students running about, trying to finish their packing before it was time to board the train and leave for holiday. Except for Iwan and Mary, who had packed after returning from Hogsmeade the previous night. They sat at Hogsmeade Station waiting for the mass of students to show up. They had already selected their car for the ride home, a small, private one towards the back.

They had received a note that morning from Gareth and Anora, asking to speak privately on the ride home. They had a bad feeling about where it was going, considering the last time they had spoken to the clueless couple. Pretty soon, they noticed one of the carriages pull into the station, carrying the two.

Gareth and Anora greeted their friends warmly and they adjourned to their car as the rest of the students began to arrive. After settling in, Iwan noticed that Gareth had been exceptionally gentlemanly towards Anora. Those two were usually far more antagonistic. Before Iwan could open his mouth, Mary blurted out what was on both their minds, "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Gareth and Anora looked shocked. "How did you know?"

Iwan and Mary gave the other two very similar faces of exasperation. "Because Gareth is never that considerate. He's never helped you load your trunk up before, why start now?" Iwan pointed out.

Gareth looked offended. "I'll have you know," he said. "That I am the very image of a gentleman!"

"To the girls you want to shag, Gareth" Mary said.

"Right, never to Anora. You two are always laying into each other."

The two soon-to-be parents looked at their shoes, slightly ashamed. "How long have you known?" Mary asked softly.

"Found out three night ago," Anora answered. "Madame Pomfrey tested me, and set up an appointment at St. Mungo's for Tuesday with a Healer to help us from here out. I'm gonna be a mum." Anora smiled unexpectedly at her last remark.

"Are you excited?" Iwan ventured. When Anora nodded, he and Mary embraced their friends, reveling in their happiness.

"So," Mary said. "What's the plan now? Are you two getting married, or what?"

"We're not getting married," Gareth answered. "At least not yet. I'm going to work at my uncle's pub in Carterton, start making money."

"And my family said they would help out while I work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I've been offered an internship there under Hermione Granger herself."

Many more commendations and hugs and smiles were shared among the four friends as the train began to pull out of the station. "What about you two?" Gareth asked. "When do you start your professional trials?"

Iwan thought back to all the teams that offered him a trial: Puddlemere, Appleby, Portree, Wimbourne, Caerphilly and, of course, Oxford. His trials for Puddlemere and Caerphilly were both this coming week, with Appleby, Portree and Wimbourne the week after. Oxford was the last trial he had in three weeks to the day. Mary's schedule was quite similar, though instead of Caerphilly, Wimbourne and Appleby, she had trials with Kenmare, Ballycastle and Wigtown.

"First one is coming up on Tuesday, actually. We have an open trial with Puddlemere at their practice facility in Dorset. Thursday, I'm in Caerphilly while she's in Ballycastle. The next Monday, I'm in Appleby while she's in Kenmare, then we're both in Portree the day after, and on Friday I'm in Wimbourne while she's in Wigtown. Then Oxford the Wednesday after all that."

Anora's eyebrows shot into her hairline while she tried to wrap her head around the busy schedule of trials. "That's a lot for three weeks," she said.

Mary nodded enthusiastically. "I know right! I'm so excited! Iwan and I are meeting up after every trial to discuss it and compare. I can't wait!"

The rest of train ride back to London was filled with similar banter and easy conversation, that they hardly noticed when they pulled into King's Cross. Iwan hugged his friends goodbye, wishing Gareth and Anora the best of luck and made them promise to write him. He and Mary then spotted Iwan's parents waiting nearby.

"Oh darlings!" Iwan's mother called to them. "It's wonderful to see you again, and all graduated now! We've got a special treat for the two of you, if you'll just follow us!"

"Now, now, Rosie," Iwan's father said. "You can't very well expect them to drag their trunks all over London now do you?"

"Oh, of course! How silly of me! Let's duck into the alley real quick, and you two and can just shrink them and set them in your book bags." Iwan and Mary followed his parents into the alley and quickly and as quietly as possible shrunk their school trunks down and set them into their book bags before following the Hughes's out into London.

"Um, Mrs. Hughes," Mary asked tentatively. "What sort of special treat do you have planned for us?"

Iwan's mother looked at Mary with a mischievous grin. "That is for you to find out, later. First, we have a nice lunch planned, and a nice afternoon ahead of us." Iwan and Mary exchanged confused looks as they continued on with Iwan's parents. They first stopped at a nice cafe for a light lunch of sandwiches and then continued on to the cinema to see a superhero film that managed to entertain Mary far more than it did Iwan.

Afterwards, Iwan and Mary were dragged on a small shopping spree for new clothes. Iwan picked out a few new flannel shirts and a new vintage jacket as well as a few other items, some that went very much with his new clothes, like the new trainers he got, and some that just expressed his general interest, like the watch that featured a certain dome-headed, cylindrical-bodied robot from a favorite film series of Iwan's. Mary had done much the same, but had added a sundress or two for the coming summer.

After another trip to an alley to shrink their shopping bags, Iwan's parents brought the recent Hogwarts graduates to a nice, fancy Italian restaurant in the heart of the city. After they were seated and had ordered their beverages, Iwan could not take it any longer.

"Okay, what is going on? You have to tell us now! You wouldn't normally take us out like this as a special treat. If we're going back home, then we need to get moving or we won't get there until this time tomorrow."

Mr. and Mrs. Hughes exchanged a look. "We know that you two are now graduated, and have gotten offers for trials for the big leagues." Iwan's mother took a breath, before continuing. "We also know that living up in the north with us is not what you want to do, when so many of the teams either have offices or are based nearby." She looked at her husband as he took over.

"So," Mr. Hughes said slowly. "We have gotten you two a flat to share while you do your trials."

Iwan and Mary both did not notice their jaws drop so low, it was amazing there was not an audible sound from them smacking the table below. "You got us a bloody flat?!"

There was a clamor of shushes at Mary's loud exclamation. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes laughed at Mary's behavior. It had become commonplace around the Hughes household ever since Mary had been taken in by them over the Summer. Her pureblood father had kicked her out for associating with Iwan's family. Though Mary was more amazed that it had taken her bigoted father. Marius O'Connell, as long as it did to kick her out, as she had honestly expected it when he found out she had been sorted into Hufflepuff rather than "noble Slytherin.," it still had left her in a tight spot. The Hughes's were more than happy to open a place in their home and hearts for Iwan's best friend though. They had come to find her crass and often vulgar nature quite endearing by now.

Chuckling, Mr. Hughes managed to reply. "Yes, we got you a flat. _Temporarily._ " He made sure to look at both Iwan and Mary for a long moment each with the last word. "As soon as you've been accepted onto a team, you're paying for it yourself. So be sure to get a large signing bonus." Smiling again at his little joke, Mr. Hughes let out a chortle.

"Where is the flat?" Mary asked, after the shock began to wear off.

"Not far," Mrs. Hughes said. "We originally wanted to look in Diagon Alley, but considering your upbringing, Iwan, and your love of films, Mary, we thought -"

"Living in Diagon Alley would blow!" Mary said, with passion.

"Language, please, Mary," Mrs. Hughes scolded lightly. "But, yes, it would, as you said, 'blow.'"


	5. W e'v e O n l y J u s t B e g u n

Disclaimer: I own nothing but original characters.

I feel these Author's Notes may be useless yet, I also feel obliged to do them. Hmm… weird. Anyways, a lot of the original cast will show up, at least from time to time, even if they don't have a large impact on the story. I suspect, if things go according to plan, a few will be showing up next chapter, or the chapter after. Quone modo nunc, fulve bos?

Chapter 5

We've Only Just Begun

After dinner, Mary, Iwan and his parents made their way to Charing Cross road. Just a few blocks down from where the Leaky Cauldron, they stopped. The building they were outside wasn't ugly, or rundown, nor was it too clean and fresh. It looked as if it had, at one point in its obviously long life, been a warehouse or factory of some kind. There places where larger windows had been filled in with brick that was of similar color to the rest of the building, but without the fading that came with time and exposure to the elements.

"This is it, you two!" Mr. Hughes spoke with an enthusiasm that would have been contagious if Mary and Iwan had not been just as, if not more, excited themselves already. Mr. Hughes turned to Mary and Iwan and held out a small key ring with two small, golden keys on them. Iwan reached out slowly, only for the keys to be snatched excitedly away by Mary who was already dashing up the stoop to the door.

"Third floor! Second to the right!" Mrs. Hughes called after Iwan as he chased after Mary.

"Are you two coming or not?" Iwan asked them.

"We'll catch up soon, we have our own key, just so we can stop in whenever we feel like it!" Iwan saw his father crack a mischievous grin as he spoke. Iwan shook his head at his father's antics and followed Mary inside, who was already on her way up the stairs to the third floor.

The flat was small, but not too cramped. A pre-owned couch and armchair were in the living area with a small television and a brand new Blu-ray player. Iwan's and Mary's various posters for muggle films and classic Quidditch Teams adorned the walls. The kitchen was small, but contained all that was necessary for the two friends with absolutely no cooking skills to speak of. The fridge was stocked full of groceries and beer. There was a small bar in the kitchen that served as the dining area with two stools present. There was no room for a full-sized table.

Three doors sat opposite the entrance that held two small bedrooms and a small bathroom. They quickly figured out Iwan's was the room to the left as it was filled with his things from home, including his guitar, books, and replica Lego Death Star he had built as a child. Mary's was filled with some of her favorite art, some she had done herself, most done by her cousin Harriet.

Iwan heard his parents enter the apartment as they were looking in at the small bathroom. Coming out, they both saw the smiles adorning the faces of proud parents. They gathered into a big group hug.

"We knew you'd like it," Mrs. Hughes said, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "You're really adults now." With this admission, Mrs. Hughes let out a loud sob. Mr. Hughes provided a few comforting words before turning to Mary and Iwan.

"We'll leave you two to it then. We're at the Leaky Cauldron tonight, but we'll be back to Bear Hill tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"I just know you two are going to do great in your trials over the next few weeks! We're so proud of you both! Don't stay up too late, please. Get some rest, okay?"

After all the goodbyes had been said, the spoils of their day out put away and their school things neatly packed away forever, Iwan and Mary sat on the couch, a cold bottle of beer in their hands as they took in everything that had happened that day.

"Well," Mary said tentatively, as they settled down to watch a movie in their new apartment. "I guess it all begins soon, eh? Tuesday we're in Dorset for our open trial for Puddlemere."

Iwan took a long drink from his bottle. He preferred his beer from the tap, or better yet, straight from a wooden cask, the chilled bottle of brown ale in his hand really hit the spot. After he savored the taste for a moment or two, he thought of the coming trials. He figured he should be nervous for what was coming, but he only found himself excited. It was a quality that greatly annoyed his parents to no end. Mary called it his "spirit of adventure." His parents preferred the term "recklessly stupid," but they always said it with love.

"Can't wait," he said quietly.

"Me neither."

Tuesday came quickly. At 5 o'clock in the morning, a loud, blaring alarm sounded in his small bedroom, waking Iwan from his deep slumber. He had been having a wonderful dream where he had been flying on the back of giant, winged badger, with a military-like formation of his winged-badger brothers flying behind as they waged a wonderfully silly war against an army of robot squirrels. More than a little confused at his subconscious mind projecting that image the night before his first professional Quidditch trial, Iwan pushed the dream from his mind as he quickly hopped in the shower.

Mary hadn't woken yet, as Iwan made sure to set his alarm a full fifteen minutes earlier than she claimed she was going to wake up so he could claim the first shower. He knew her pre-quidditch ritual and he didn't fancy a freezing shower before the trial. He quickly finished up as he heard Mary's alarm go off in the next room, and as she took over the bathroom for the next forty-five minutes, Iwan set to preparing breakfast.

It wasn't a particularly good breakfast, but it was much better than his first attempt had been the Saturday previous. So it was with slightly burnt bacon, slightly less burnt sausage, and some rather bland eggs to go with the rather bland coffee that Iwan, and soon Mary, filled their stomachs before their first professional trial. At half past six, the two were dressed in their athletic clothes and turning into the alley behind their building to apparate to the Puddlemere United Training Facility in Dorset near the river Piddle.

It wasn't a large facility, which didn't surprise either of them. There were no need for stands at a training facility after all. Just a basic Quidditch Pitch, with a smallish building off to the side with the Puddlemere Crest on the wooden door. As Iwan and Mary entered they were treated to a surprisingly large crowd of people. It should not have been much of a surprise, though, as many people always showed up to the Puddlemere open trials, though only those with a formal invitation would be seriously considered. It was very much a publicity thing for Puddlemere to hold an open trial like this, it always got fans talking.

Iwan and Mary pushed their way through the throng of excited fans and other prospective players to the registration desk. Sitting at the desk was a rather frazzled-looking young wizard who looked as if today was his own personal hell. It took a few moments before they could get his attention.

"Yes?" he asked hurriedly. "What can I do for you?"

"We're Iwan Hughes and Mary O'Connell, here for the open trial." Iwan could hardly hear himself over the dull roar of the people crowded inside the building.

"Yes, yes, yes," the young wizard said, and Iwan was vaguely reminded of a hyperactive squirrel. The young wizard's jittery movements looked as if he had decided to take as many Pepper-Up potions as he could get his hands on. A small clipboard was thrust into Iwan's hands with a self-inking quill. "Just sign in, next to your name. Coach Gerald Frasely will be out shortly to begin the whole process."

Iwan gave another curious glance at the skittish young wizard before taking the quill in hand and signing his name, and then handing it over to Mary for her to do the same. She handed the clipboard back to the young wizard and they moved off to the side as a few more prospective players arrived to sign in. It wasn't long before a loud whistle blowing quieted the room. Out of a small door in the back stepped a rather brawny wizard with dark hair that was graying on the sides, and a crooked nose from one too many breaks. His full, peppery beard left him with a clearly defined jawline that made for a rather imposing figure as he focused his eyes on the crowd.

"All right!" he exclaimed, voice booming in the crowded room. "This is the annual Puddlemere United Open Trials. Some of you have been issued an invitation to be here to see if you can earn a spot on this team. Puddlemere has won the League Cup for the four times out of the last four seasons, so I expect each and every one of who has been invited to show me that you are Champion material! The rest of you," He continued. "Are here to see if you can impress me enough to give a shot with the rest of the invitees. Don't get your hopes up. Now, if you have been invited for the trial, follow me!" Iwan and Mary followed Frasely through the door he had emerged from.

There were about fifteen other players there, some Iwan had recognized from school, though they had been graduated for a few years now. There was Nellie Powers, who had spent the last two years in the minor leagues, honing her skills for her shot at the major league. Yuri Gross, who had been captain of Iwan's first House team, had spent the years since graduating playing in the European Leagues, making quite the name for himself there as an exceptional Keeper. There was also Gordon Hobart, who had played for Gryffindor three years ago: their last talented Seeker. The rest were just people Iwan recognized from the rosters of other teams.

The players were led into a locker with identical Firebolt Plus broomsticks, one for each of them. The rest of the room was decorated in the Puddlemere colors with the golden bulrushes put almost anywhere they would fit. Frasely addressed the players. "We've got a Firebolt Plus here for each of you. Grab whichever one you like. Outside that door is Practice Pitch A, that's where you will hold your tryouts." Frasely gestured to another door right behind him, with a large "A" embossed on it. "The others will be at Practice Pitch B, so they won't be disturbing you. Once outside, we'll divide you by your position and run you through some of our basic warm ups and drills before seeing what you can really do. See you out on the pitch in five."

Iwan and Mary, along with all the other players, each grabbed a broom. looked over it to make sure it was all in working order and then, one by one, filed through the door onto Practice Pitch A. On the pitch was the starting lineup of Puddlemere United. "Alright, you lot!" one of them yelled. "I'm Team Captain and Chaser Oliver Wood, and we'll be putting you through some of our drills and warm ups for the first few hours. I want all Chasers to follow Robards and Hewitt." With that, Danielle Robards and Edgar Hewitt led all the prospective Chasers (one of whom would presumably take the empty spot left by Anton Blake when he left for a team in the United States), over to one set of goal posts. Iwan quietly wished Mary luck as she followed them.

"Seekers," Wood continued. "You'll follow Neely to the west side of the pitch. Beaters," Iwan perked up. It was about to begin for him. He looked back over towards the goal posts and saw that the chasers were already passing around a quaffle a few feet off the ground. "Follow Bunch and Carr to the east side of the pitch. Keepers, follow me."

Iwan followed Henry Bunch and Tony Carr to the east side of the pitch. There were two chests laying there, as well as a rack of beater's bats. There were only three people trying for beaters today. "Okay," Bunch said. "I want you each to grab a bat, and we're going to test your strength, see how hard you can hit. From there, we'll move on to target practice, blocking, and teamwork."

Iwan quickly learned how difficult it would be to make the cut for Puddlemere. Bunch and Carr brought out some stationary training bludgers. Iwan had never seen these before. They seemed to be a standard bludger attached to a flexible pole. When hit, it would give out a Strength Index Reading (or SIR), on a scale of 1 to 10. When Bunch demonstrated, the bludger gave a reading of 7.8, which they said was standard for the league. Abby Goldman, the first prospective to whack the test bludger earned a 6.7, which Bunch and Carr said was good for a first try. Bobby Carlisle, the other prospective, earned an impressive 7.2. Iwan was thoroughly embarrassed when he walked up to attempt it and only garnered 5.3.

After a few more attempts, Iwan managed to bring his reading up to a respectable 6.5. But then the other warm ups began. The only thing Iwan could say positively about the whole situation was that his target shooting was the best. When he attempted to block fake chasers from getting hit with real bludgers, he realized that Hogwarts had gone easy on them. Professional grade bludgers moved faster, hit harder and made Iwan's time during the trial Hell. He couldn't find a grove with any of the other beaters like he had with his House team. Bishop had been a little clueless at times, but he worked well with Iwan's reckless behavior. These beaters were asking the impossible with their need for "sound strategy," and "cohesive playing." That kind of nonsense never sat well with Iwan.

After their positional warm ups, all the players were gathered again and put through basic laps around the pitch to get better acquainted with their brooms, followed by flying patterns as a whole, then the same by position. Before Iwan and Mary knew it, it was lunch time. They were dismissed back to the locker room from whence they came to find a selection of sandwiches and water for them to lunch on. Mary quickly found Iwan in the corner, keeping to himself.

"Everything okay?" She must have noticed the not-so-subtle look of complete despair on his face.

"Maybe I'm not cut out for this," he confided in her.

"Rough time?"

"You could say that. I have a weak hit, and I can't work with these other beaters. They're too..." Iwan trailed off as he searched for a word. Mary soon supplied it, and more.

"Square. Conformed. Not recklessly stupid and daring?"

Iwan nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey!" Abby Goldman said as she approached the two. "How do you think you're doing so far?"

"Miserable," Iwan said.

"Oh thank God, I'm not the only one then. Abby Goldman," she held her hand out to Mary.

"Mary O'Connell. Is it that bad trying out for beater?"

"Yes. That Bobby Carlisle is already buddy-ing up with Bunch and Carr. He hits better than us, he flies better than us, the only thing we can say is that Hughes here can aim better."

"Are there any other teams you're trying for?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, I've got trials at Ballycastle, Kenmare and Montrose."

"Nice," Mary said cheerily. "Best of luck then!"

It wasn't long after that they found themselves back on the pitch running team drills and basic plays. Iwan still felt outmatched by everyone else there. It was brutal. After a few hours, they divided into three teams, with the Puddlemere Reserve team members filling in any missing slots. Iwan's team lost both their exhibitions. After all the embarrassment, the prospects were, once again, gathered in the locker room, with Coach Frasely standing before them.

"I want you all to know, that you're all exceptional players. You wouldn't have been invited to this trial if that weren't the case. But we have only a few spots to fill, and not everyone will make the cut. You'll hear from us in a few weeks regarding your standing. Good luck. And leave the brooms."

Iwan and Mary left together and apparated back to their flat in London. They took turns showering off the grime and sweat from the day and Mary found Iwan face-down on the couch when she emerged from her shower.

"What's got you all mopey?"

Iwan groaned loudly before he answered, voice muffled by the couch cushion. "That was miserable. Bloody miserable!"

Mary moved over to Iwan's side, grabbed a leg and yanked him hard off the couch. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

"You can't feel sorry for yourself just because you had a shit trial," she said nonchalantly. "How about we go to the pub at the end of the block. You could use a drink."


	6. S o m e t h i n g B e a u t i f u l

Disclaimer: I own nothing but original characters.

AN: Thanks for sticking with this story. Here's Harry! Please read and review. All hate will be met with snark.

Catapultam habeo. isi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane

Chapter 6

Something Beautiful

The rest of Iwan's trials were just as dismal as Puddlemere. Every trial, he was out-flown, outplayed, and just overall outdone. Iwan hit an all-time low when Portree asked him to leave in the middle of the trial, the coach claiming he'll never find a spot in professional Quidditch. The Wimbourne coach said much of the same thing, and he had the distinct feeling of being patronized in Appleby.

Mary, on the other hand, could do no wrong. She wasn't leagues ahead of everybody else with her trials, but she was keeping pace, and the coaches and managers all had an eye on her. Iwan was proud for his best friend and surrogate sister, but he couldn't help but feel just a tad jealous at times. It wasn't Mary's fault, she did everything she could to help Iwan feel better. Usually that just involved copious amounts of alcohol from the local pub, as well as the occasional viewing of his favorite films and television programs. But there's only so much a Doctor Who marathon can solve before the problems and troubles return.

Which is how, on the morning of his Oxford trial, Iwan was dragged out of his bed, kicking and screaming by Mary.

"Come on, you lazy bastard!" she yelled while struggling to drag Iwan out of his bed. "You have to leave for Oxford in thirty minutes! I swear to God, you are not going to give up on this!"

Iwan held onto his bed with all his might. "I'm not going, Mary! In case you haven't noticed, I suck at this! There's no way any team is going to want me! Just leave me alone!" And it was with a mighty heave, Mary finally yanked Iwan out of his bed and threw him into the living room where a hot cup of coffee and a terribly-cooked English breakfast awaited him.

"I won't let you give up on this, Iwan." Mary said. You have one more trial today. Just get through it. The Owls don't have good standing in the league, so you may have an easier chance. I know it's not what you want, but it could be a chance to play professional Quidditch, just like you always wanted."

Iwan sighed. Mary was right, and he knew it. He was just being stupid and wallowing in his failure. He still had one more chance.

"Now," Mary continued. "Where the hell are you supposed to meet the Owls for your trial?"

Iwan summoned the card that Susan had handed him weeks ago. His eyes took a moment to adjust, as he had not yet put his glasses on.

 _Raven and Lily Pub_

 _Oxford_

 _7:00 AM_

"It's at a pub in Oxford. The Raven and Lily." Iwan memorized it. He was flooing into the pub from the Leaky Cauldron and was going to be dreadfully late. He asked Mary for the time before scarfing down his breakfast, and singing his throat by knocking back the entire mug of still scalding coffee. He quickly rushed back to his room, changed into his athletic clothes and shrunk his broom down, putting it into a rucksack with a bottle of water and an apple before running out the door and all the way to the Leaky Cauldron.

Iwan always hated floo travel. It made him dizzy and disoriented. He took a few moments to look around the unopened pub from his position on the floor. There were two people standing above him. A lady with red hair who looked familiar, and a man with messy black hair and glasses. Iwan stood up and got a better look at the two people standing before him.

The lady was Susan, the one who had approached him after his final match with the Hufflepuff team just a few short weeks ago. The other, was none other than Harry Potter himself. "Holy shit, you're Harry Potter." Iwan blurted out the words before quickly covering his mouth and attempting to blubber out an apology. Harry just laughed.

"That was, without a doubt, the most interesting greeting I've had in a while, wouldn't you say, Sue?" Harry reached out and shook Iwan's hand. "Welcome to Oxford, Iwan Hughes. I hope you brought your broom with you."

Iwan nodded and took his shrunken Thunderbolt III broomstick and restored it to its rightful size. "It's an honor to be here, sir," Iwan said nervously. Harry chuckled again.

"No need to call me sir, Hughes, we're very casual here in Oxford. Just Potter will do. Now, if you'd like to take a seat with me at the bar, we'll discuss what we're doing here today."

Iwan followed Harry over to the bar and sat on his left, between Harry and Susan. Susan began rifling through a briefcase, pulling out various forms and files, setting them in front of her. To Iwan's right, Harry began speaking. "Today we're going to have a private trial," he said. "I never like the public ones where you're with twenty other players and expected to do your best on brooms you've never flown, doing drills you've never practiced. I didn't make a single team I tried for after I left the aurors. I got lucky that Falmouth drafted me or I would never have played professionally."

Harry looked at Iwan. "We've been following your trials. We know you've had a rough go at it. I hope you aren't too discouraged by that. We want you to be comfortable. That's why we had you bring your own broom for it. We wanted you to try out on something you're familiar with, and at home with. You'll have time to warm up to industry standard before League play starts. So this morning, we're going to run some basic drills with you, and let you build up to what we do at our practices. Then, if the morning goes well, we'll run a scrimmage this afternoon with the team. Does that sound good to you?"

Iwan nodded and affirmed the plan. It sounded far more agreeable than the trials he'd been through already. Maybe McGonagall was onto something about giving the Owls a chance.

"Good," Harry said, shaking Iwan from his thoughts. "Susan here has a few forms for you to sign, just standard medical releases. We don't anticipate you getting hurt, but you are trying for beater, so it comes with the territory." Iwan signed the forms and handed them back to Susan. He then followed Harry into a back room of the pub where a cellar door was located. Harry opened it up and led Iwan down into the cellar. There were barrels of various beers, all brewed by Finnegan's Brewery, as well as boxes from the Lion Distillery. Iwan knew both were located nearby, so it didn't surprise him that the Raven and Lily were a Finnegan's account.

As they continued through the cellar, they came to another door, round in shape, with a doorknob dead center. "Through here is a tunnel that leads to the Owl locker rooms. From there you can get to the practice pitch and the main stadium. I own the pub as well as the team so it's a pretty common place for everyone to go after practices and matches, when we're not on the road." Harry led the way through the tunnel which looked longer than it felt. Before Iwan knew it, they were opening another round door, identical to the one in the cellar, and entering a well-crafted hallway with carvings of owls all along the walls. There was an empty trophy case on the left wall, waiting to be filled.

At the end of the hallway, Harry led Iwan through a door that said "OWLS." The door opposite said "AWAY." The locker room was sparsely decorated. There were fourteen cubbies that made a u shape starting on Iwan's right. In the middle of the cubbies was a door that said "STADIUM." To Iwan's left were two other doors saying "WIZARDS" and "WITCHES." Iwan assumed those were the showers. Directly opposite the door Iwan came through was another door that was left blank. That was probably the door to the practice pitch.

Lying in an untitled cubby was a blank Owls, practice jersey, pads and beater's club. It was brown in color with a patch of an owl on a branch on both arms beneath where the number would be, and over the left breast. The trim and owl patches were all in beige color. Iwan instinctively put on the jersey, then donned the brown pants, boots and put the pads on last. He then grabbed the club, and gave it a few test swings. He liked the weight and balance of it. Much better than the ones used at Hogwarts.

Soon, Harry reemerged, Iwan not having noticed he had left at all, in his own Owls coach gear. A brown polo with the Owls logo, an Owls hat, and some slacks for his pants. "You ready, Hughes?" he asked.

"Hell yes," Iwan said.

The drills they began with were easy enough, nothing he hadn't done at Hogwarts on a regular basis. He hit bludgers at stationary targets, the targets then began to move, and then Iwan was put through an obstacle course. He was sent through dummies, representing other players, while bludgers were launched at him and he attempted to hit them back and target certain players as Harry called them out. "Chaser! Beater! Seeker! Keeper!" They went through that for a while before Harry charmed another set of dummies to play a basic scrimmage against the other set, to test out Iwan's defensive capabilities.

Overall, Iwan found himself doing much better when he was not having to compare himself to everyone else on the pitch. Harry also proved to be an encouraging coach, which helped boost Iwan's confidence, and he became more and more daring as the trial went on. This caused Harry to keep encouraging Iwan. It seemed Iwan might have found a place to play at last. That is, if he could get through the scrimmage. It felt like no time at all when Harry had them break for lunch.

He changed out of the jersey and pads, but left the pants and boots on as Harry returned Iwan to the Raven and Lily, which was now open and filled with quite a few people. Harry and Iwan sat at the bar again where a blonde woman was serving drinks and sending out food orders. "What'll it be, Harry?" the woman asked.

"We'll both just have the grilled chicken for now. We don't need anything greasy while the trial's going on."

"What about drinks? Water?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Yes please, but also a half-pint of the Varsity for both of us, Hannah, thank you."

Hannah poured them their half-pints and put their food order in to the kitchen. "You've been doing brilliant out there. I think you deserve a bit of a drink before the team arrives." Iwan accepted graciously and nursed one of his favorite beers while he waited for his lunch. As he waited, many of the patrons approached Harry to chat briefly about the upcoming season. Most of them greeted Iwan warmly when Harry said he trying out for the team. They all wished him luck, and Iwan got the feeling that this was a close-knit community in the area.

When the food arrived, Iwan dug in hungrily. It may have been the hunger, or his and Mary's awful cooking, but it had to be some of the best grilled chicken he'd ever tasted in his life. As he dug in like a wild wolf attacking a wounded chicken, Iwan noticed some other people enter the pub. "Gordon! Finch! Come over here!" Harry called to them. The two people, a young woman and a young man approached.

"What's going on, Potter?" the woman asked.

"I want you to meet, Iwan Hughes," Harry said, indicating Iwan whose mouth was stuffed full of chicken. "Iwan this is Sara Gordon and Sam Finch, they're chasers on the team. You'll playing with them this afternoon." They exchanged pleasantries and Iwan felt that the two chasers were kind people as they made their way to back and, presumably, to the locker rooms. Soon, the rest of the players trickled into the pub, all greeting Iwan kindly. There was Seeker Jessica Adams, Keeper Toni Hoover, and Beater Aiden Kelly, who stayed at the bar and chatted with his prospective teammate. The reserves trickled in as well, also all stopping by to greet Harry and Iwan. Kovecevich, Gorski, and Durand filled out the reserve Chasers, Waldau and Yelchin filled out the keeper and seeker respectively.

"Why are there no reserve beaters?" Iwan asked Harry.

"That," Harry replied. "Is exactly our problem. At the end of the last season, we lost our starting beater to a head injury, and the reserves jumped ship to the Australian League. We're hoping to replace the reserves in the draft while we replace the starter with the trials. We should be getting back now, it's about time to start the scrimmage." Iwan followed Harry back to the locker room, which was filled with the players all in their practice gear, sitting about chatting amiably. Iwan donned his borrowed practice jersey and pads again, and grabbed his broom once more. He was mentally preparing himself for the scrimmage when he heard someone, Kelly if he wasn't mistaken, shout.

"Hey! Where's Hewitt?"

Harry looked around and counted all the players. He was missing a Chaser. "Dammit! Someone use the floo and try to contact him! Tell him to get his ass down here now!" Gordon ran off to do just that. Kelly sat down next Iwan. "Hewitt's almost always late," he said. "Thinks he's God's gift to quidditch. I personally don't know why Potter doesn't fire the bastard."

"You know full well why Potter doesn't fire Hewitt," Toni Hoover added, jumping into the conversation. "He's the most talented player on the team. He may be the biggest dick in the world, but the man can fly."

"I don't bloody care how he flies," Kelly said angrily. "I don't like the piece of shit. Treats us all like crap."

At that moment, Gordon returned with a bored-looking man in tow. He looked at Iwan, who sitting in front of one of the first cubby. "You're in my fucking spot, idiot. Get out!" Iwan looked at Damien Hewitt for a moment. He suddenly felt a white hot rage building inside him. The same rage he got during a particularly brutal quidditch match. The same rage that made him want to start swinging his club around at anything that moved. Iwan already had a bludger set aside for this man's face.

For now, though, Iwan slowly stood up and let Hewitt take his cubby and change. He felt Kelly pat his back and say something, but he wasn't paying attention. He was just planning his attack.

They soon took to the practice pitch and Harry divided them into their teams. Since he was short beaters, he had Iwan start with the main, telling him he'd switch them after the halfway point of the match, to see how he holds up against a starting line. This was Iwan's chance. To prove his mettle and, eventually, deliver a swift beating to Hewitt for his dickery.

The quaffle went up and the scrimmage began. It was like being back at Hogwarts. Iwan spotted the first bludger and sent it flying at Gorski, who had taken the quaffle. Unfortunately Kelly blocked it and sent it back to Iwan, who sent it flying away, towards Durand, knocking her out of the sky.

The match was fantastic. It was pure quidditch. The only dark cloud on this otherwise sunny day of a trial was Hewitt. He would abuse his teammates at the drop of a hat. A chaser shoots and the keeper blocks it, then the chaser obviously doesn't know how to play and gets a lecture on how to properly throw the quaffle. Iwan hit a bludger that Kelly blocked and received a wonderfully delivered "hit the mark or get the fuck off the pitch! You're the absolute worst beater I've ever seen!"

Before long though, Iwan was switched to the reserve side and started looking for his opportunity. Which, not-so-coincidentally, he found regularly occurring. Hewitt was a classic quaffle-hog. And Iwan exploited this by hitting almost every bludger right at him. He kept the pressure on as best he could, hoping one of them would hit home. It wasn't until the very end of the scrimmage, right before Adams caught the practice snitch that Iwan launched a particularly brutal bludger at Hewitt. Kelly was busy keeping another bludger away from Adams, when WHACK! Iwan's bludger found a home in Hewitt's face. The chaser fell backwards off his broom and landed roughly on the pitch below. Adams then caught the snitch, signalling the end of the scrimmage.

Harry flew over the Iwan and congratulated him on a beautiful hit. He assured the team that Hewitt would be fine and that the team healer Jon Bennett would look over him and patch him right up. He then told the team to retire to the locker room, and asked Iwan to follow him to his office.

Iwan followed Harry through the locker room and into the hallway. Harry reached up and pulled on string to lower a staircase which they then went up. The staircase led directly into the middle of a large office. There was a desk in the middle, and large windows that looked out onto the Owls' Stadium. There were multiple awards adorning the walls from Harry quidditch career. The five MVP trophies, a Rookie of the Year Award, his three Josef Wronski Awards, and the various jerseys he wore over his 7 year career. There were the Falmouth Falcons, the Ballycastle Bats and the last jersey he wore, the English National jersey. He never made it to the World Cup playoffs, sadly, being injured in the preliminaries the year before. It had ended his career.

Before Iwan had a chance to fully appreciate the decor, he heard the click of heels as someone else entered the office: Susan. "Now, Hughes," Harry said. "After your performance in the scrimmage, and the one-on-one trial this morning, I want to offer you a position. Starting, Right Wing Beater. Susan here has a contract, it's a standard entry-level contract for three years, with a signing bonus of 3,000 galleons as well as an extra 2,000 plus moving expenses if you move to the Oxford area. We're a tight-knit group here, and we enjoy hanging out, even in the off-season, so we'd love to see you move to the area. Do you have an agent yet?"

Iwan shook his head. He hadn't even thought of getting an agent. Was he already supposed to have one? "Don't worry, Iwan," Harry said. "We can recommend an agency, Greengrass and Bones. They aren't large, but they do handle most of the team. For now, we'll deal with your verbal confirmation if you want to sign with us, and have the big ceremony after your agent's looked it over."

Harry looked at Iwan for a while as he took the contract from Susan. He eyed the dotted line at the bottom, where he would be signing. This was real. He was a professional quidditch player. And on the starting lineup to boot! "Well?" Harry asked, shaking Iwan from his reverie. "Do you want to be an Oxford Owl?"

"Of course I do!" Iwan exclaimed. He then shook hands with both Harry and Susan.

"Good. We'll have an official copy of the contract sent over to your agent when you get one. That one is your copy, just for redundancies. Now, go down and get to know your new teammates." Iwan walked down the stairs and back into the locker room. The rest of the team were all down there, now in their street clothes waiting.

"So?" Kelly said. "Are you an Owl or not?"

Iwan held up the contract and the rest of the team clapped and welcomed him in, inviting him to the pub for a few rounds of celebratory drinks with them before he went back home. Iwan quickly changed and followed them to the pub.


	7. R i g h t f u l l y S o

Disclaimer: I own nothing by original characters.

I'm baaaack! I know it's been awhile, but I've been busy trying to find a better job than the nightmare I currently work in. Add to that a lovely little writer's block for this and the other fic I'm working on "The Long Night," but the opening of the block to my original stories, and you get distraction! Anyways, what we have here is the preseason for the Owls and a little table dressing for the future before the main season begins. Yay! I know it's short, but the next one, which I'm already in the middle of writing, will be longer. As always, please read and review. All the crap about sarcasm still stands.

Credo quia absurdum est

Chapter 7

Rightfully So

"Hewitt takes the quaffle down the pitch! He's on a breakaway! He shoots and scores! That's ninety-nil to Oxford who are delivering a truly spectacular pummeling to the Cannons in this pre-season match!" Archie Bonnet, regular game announcer for the Wizarding Wireless Networks Quidditch station was as excitable as always. He often was the announcer at Oxford home games, coming to enjoy the team and follow them closely over the last four years.

It was now the quidditch pre-season as July gave way to August. The Owls' first game had been a resounding loss against Ballycastle, 310-100. Iwan soon realized he did not enjoy losing, but the drinks of consolation after the match did make him feel better. He was just glad the team had booked a hotel in Ballycastle. There was no way he could have apparated back to Oxford in that condition. Their second match was also a tough loss to Falmouth in their own stadium, which made Iwan glad he had purchased a small, terraced house just down the road from the Raven and Lily.

Mary had been added to Puddlemere's reserve team, and had moved out to Dorset. They both decided to keep the small London flat, at least until the lease was up, for their off-weeks, so they could visit Anora, who had moved to London for her internship at the ministry, Gareth not far behind, and flooing to work every day at his uncle's pub in Carterton.

Puddlemere had been the Owls' third match. Which had been their toughest loss yet at 450-30. Hewitt had trashed the locker room after that, complaining that it was all Kelly's and Iwan's faults for not playing enough defense. In some way, Hewitt had a point, Iwan thought. If he and Kelly had been a better match for the Puddlemere beaters, Bunch and Carr. Hewitt then went on ranting about his brother, Edgar, a chaser on the Puddlemere team and how he was always better than Edgar at everything and it just wasn't fair. Luckily, Hewitt left before he got physical with any of the team.

That was the first night in a long time where Iwan had order whisky the entire night. He normally didn't drink too many hard liquors as he preferred to stay sober as long as he could, but that night he just wanted to get drunk and forget about the loss. Mary had looked conflicted. She was obviously happy that her team had won, and that she got to play in the latter half of the game, but she also didn't enjoy the thorough beating her best friend had received at her team's hand. It was embarrassing. But today promised an easy victory. The Chudley Cannons had managed to get even worse over the years. It was like playing a team in the minor leagues.

Iwan, almost lazily smacked a bludger at Findley, the Cannons' team captain and chaser who got spooked and dropped the quaffle to cover his face as the bludger flew by him.

"And Finch picks up the quaffle, passes to Gordon to Hewitt who breaks off and shoots again... Another ten points to Oxford! Oh, it looks like Coach Barker is calling a time out for Chudley."

Iwan flew over to Harry, floating just a few feet above the ground next to Kelly. Harry was telling them to just keep it up, and encouraged Adams to find the snitch soon, before we embarrass Chudley too much. Kelly leaned over to Iwan. "Want to try something crazy?" he whispered.

"Absolutely."

"Good," Kelly said. "Just follow my lead."

The game resumed and Iwan kept close to Kelly. Soon, as the Chudley chasers came close, Kelly dove straight into them, causing a pass to go very wide. Kelly capitalized on the wide shot and swung his club at the quaffle, sending it flying over to Iwan, who sent it over to Finch, who quickly put it through the center hoop. Hewitt yelled at them, but so far there was no rule against hitting the quaffle with a beater's bat, so Iwan and Kelly kept up the play, only occasionally focusing on the bludgers. The Cannons beaters couldn't aim well enough to save their lives anyway, which only served to help.

The relentless attack of having virtually five chasers against the Cannons' three broke Chudley, psychologically. Soon enough, Adams had caught the snitch, leaving the final score 510-30. It really helped boost the team's spirits, except for Hewitt. Nothing to could boost his spirit. He was just as foul after that game as he was after the loss to Puddlemere. Only this time he took it out on the team, rather than the lockers. The rest of the team paid him no mind, however, choosing instead to bask in their victory.

Of course, the team went over to the pub and Harry bought them all a round of the official team brew, Finnegan's Owl Ale. It had quickly become one of Iwan's new favorite drinks. The team continued to celebrate with the locals coming over to congratulate them on their resounding victory, and wishing them luck against the Pride in three days' time. Iwan and Kelly were specifically congratulated for their entertaining performance by Archie Bonnet himself, who chose to stay for a few rounds after and talk quidditch with the two beaters. It was the best feeling in the world, winning a professional quidditch match. Iwan was going to chase that feeling.

The game against the Pride was a win. But it shouldn't have been. It was only by luck that the snitch decided to fly that close to Adams that soon into the match. It hadn't been but twenty minutes and the Pride was up 170-30. If Adams hadn't noticed the snitch trying to hide right behind her head, or had taken just another three minutes to notice it, they would have lost. The Pride's chasers were a well-oiled passing machine, keeping the quaffle bouncing between the wings, and playing a terrible game of keep-away from the Oxford chasers. Hewitt was growing more and more frustrated at Gordon and Finch for not taking the quaffle, even though he himself had failed just as much as they.

Iwan couldn't seem to hit any of them with a bludger either. At least not when it mattered. They'd always pass, long before the bludger hit them, or they'd dodge it with the grace of a figure skater, like it was nothing. Kelly and Iwan closed out the night with Gordon at the hotel bar, drinking their frustration away. Kelly attempted to hit on a local girl, who just laughed at him and walked off with a chaser for the Pride.

They only managed one other victory in their pre-season matches against Kenmare. They suffered many embarrassing defeats to Tutshill, Appleby and Banchory. Their win against Kenmare was both a miracle, and a wonderful reprieve from their losing streak. Iwan and Kelly had been working on a strategy to capitalize on their hybrid play that they employed against Chudley, but without having to leave their team undefended from the bludgers, as most beaters were not as ineffective as Akers and Byrne, the Chudley beaters.

They managed to keep who was playing hybrid alternating with the one on defense. It helped to confuse the opponents while keeping their options open and chasers covered. Hewitt didn't like it. He felt like he was being overshadowed by the beaters, but Harry encouraged it, especially after their victory against Kenmare. They were expected to lose by at least 100 points, but Kelly and Iwan's strategy broke the Kestrals' line and their flow. They could never quite get back into their groove.

The miracle that really helped win the match was a bludger from Iwan. He had sent it flying at the tight chaser formation that Kenmare had formed and flew straight through them, causing them to drop the quaffle. But what Iwan hadn't noticed, was that Adams and Lucy Brumfield, the Kenmare seeker, were neck and neck for the snitch, hands outstretched for the tiny golden ball, and right in the continuing path of Iwan's bludger. A loud crack and then a collective groan rang throughout the Kenmare stadium as Brumfield was hit right in the ribs and knocked off her broom, giving Adams the chance to snatch the snitch out of the air and win the game at 230-100.

This inspired Harry's training regimen for the team before the main season started with a match against Montrose. Iwan and Kelly were now doing as much training as auxiliary chasers as they were beaters. It was how Iwan thrived, and Kelly seemed to be in his element as well. The predictions still weren't hopeful on their win-loss ratio, but many experts were expecting a vast improvement, and even moving up in the standings a few places, perhaps surpassing Portree and Kenmare and setting in closer to the middle than the bottom.

Iwan was fine with the extra training if that's what it took to make it there, and earn more victories for the Oxford Owls. Harry had named Kelly as team captain for the year, and then declared they earned the next two weeks off. He wanted them fully rested before the season began in earnest. They would resume practices the week before their first seasoned match. Iwan decided to take that time and visit his friends in London. He hadn't seen them since they left Hogwarts in May, and it was now the beginning of September.

Iwan flooed into his London flat and realized how empty it looked, now that most of his things were in Oxford. He'd have to refurnish it with Mary when she arrived the next morning. It was almost noon, so Iwan decided he'd go to the pub at the end of the block and grab some lunch. He ate his fish and chips and drank his beer, a local brew, in silence at a small table in the back corner. He noticed some women who kept casting glances at him. They were both blonde, and something looked familiar about them, like he'd seen them before somewhere. They were sitting with two redheaded men, both tall and scarred. One had deep scratches on his face, while the other seemed to be missing a good chunk of his ear.

The one with the missing ear was sitting next to a woman with long black hair. She also seemed familiar. Iwan was just about to shake himself out of it when he saw someone enter the pub. Harry Potter walked through, his arm around Susan Bones, the team agent. Were those two together?! How had Iwan not noticed? Harry and Susan sat down with the redheads and the table ordered their food and drinks, when Harry looked over and noticed Iwan, and motioned him over.

Iwan slowly, and confusedly got up and walked over to Harry's table. "Hughes," Harry said. "I'd like to introduce you to some people. This," he said motioning to the two redheaded men next to him. "Is Bill and George Weasley. Their wives Fleur," he motioned to the blonde woman sitting across from Bill. "And Angelina. You already know Susan, and this is Fleur's sister, Gabrielle Delacour. Everyone, this is my new beater, Iwan Hughes." Iwan shook each of their hands in turn and exchanged basic pleasantries before Susan invited him to join them for the remainder of lunch.

Feeling he shouldn't pass up the opportunity to truly see if his boss and his agent were dating, as well as the opportunity to lunch with such legendary war heroes, Iwan gathered what was left of his plate and his drink and moved over to their table, sitting next to Gabrielle. The topics of discussion were lighthearted and soon, talk turned to quidditch, as it so often does when there are three quidditch enthusiasts, a professional quidditch team owner/coach and professional player gathered together. The two French witches looked a little bored by the conversation, choosing instead to speak with each other in their native language in hushed tones. If Iwan was correct, which he wasn't entirely sure he was, he noticed them casting glances at him again as they spoke.

"What do you feel your chances are this season?" Bill asked.

"Better than they were last season. Hughes, here, and Aiden Kelly are as good a beater team as I've seen." This caused Iwan to blush a little bit, and he could swear he heard the Delacour sisters whisper even more furiously at that. "Don't be modest, Hughes, I'm serious! I've never seen such inventive play from beaters. Not even Gwenog Jones was that good. Most everyone is just textbook defensive or offensive beaters. I'll leave some tickets aside for the match against Montrose in two weeks, you'll have to see it."

"Are you sure you can beat Montrose this year?" Angelina asked. "Last year you got your ass handed to you on silver platter by them."

"I've seen them play," Susan spoke up. "They can win this time." She squeezed Harry's arm and confirmed Iwan's suspicions by giving him a light peck on the lips. Everyone knew that Harry's marriage to Ginny Weasley had gone down in bright, colorful, violent and very public flames. It had happened in 2003, five years ago. They had almost a year after the battle of Hogwarts, in June, 1999. Ginny was selected to play chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, and Harry went on to have a record-smashing rookie year, playing for Falmout after their starting seeker was injured. He had already won Rookie of the Year and League MVP, and helped the Falcons secure the League Cup for that season, as well as the Josef Wronski award.

Everything seemed fine, at least to the public, for the first three years of the high-profile marriage. Then everything seemed to explode in the papers and tabloids with rumors of Harry cheating on Ginny, and Ginny cheating on Harry, and that they were both unhappy with their relationship, and how the Weasleys were out for Harry's blood, and almost all of the rumors were denied by Harry, though Ginny went public with tales of Harry's various lecherous affairs with women from all over the quidditch leagues, and not just the British and Irish one. Everybody accused denied the rumors, but enough people believed them at least, that Falmouth traded Harry to Ballycastle at the first opportunity, for fear of bad publicity.

Harry adamantly refused to comment on the rumors to the papers, but they soon died down and returned to focusing on Harry's exceptional skills. Harry was soon placed on the English National Team after only a year with Ballycastle, and was injured during the preliminary tournament in 2005, just two years later, by a bludger to the head. It was a career ending injury, but Harry soon bounced back by announcing his own team, the Oxford Owls.

"When are you two going to get married, already?" Fleur asked coyly, with almost no sign of a French accent. Susan and Harry laughed a bit in response. "It has been five years since Harry's divorce, and you two have been together for four. So, I ask again, when is the wedding?"

"I'm not sure if we're going to get married, Fleur. It didn't exactly work out for either of us, now did it?"

Susan nodded in agreement. "True, Ernie was a right ass the entire time we were married, not to mention all the cheating and verbal abuse. I'm perfectly content to just be in a loving relationship with this man, ring or no ring."

"What about you, Iwan?" Fleur asked, catching Iwan off-guard. What was asking him about? "Do you have someone special in your life?"

Iwan laughed a bit and took a sip from his pint. "Not really, no," he said.

"Are you opposed to having one? Ow!" Fleur yelped as someone, Iwan suspected Gabrielle, elbowed her sharply in the ribs. They then started to argue in French while Susan leaned over to Iwan.

"Fleur's been trying to set Gabby up for a while now, you'd be the third person on the Owls she's tried it with. Just warning you for the future."

Iwan laughed and nodded. He then looked at his watch and noticed the time. He had planned to meet Anora and Gareth at their flat in twenty minutes. He stood up, politely excused himself and paid for his meal and drinks as everyone else decided it was time to go as well. Iwan started to leave when Gabrielle slipped him a piece of paper while everyone else was distracted, counting out their muggle money for their food and drinks. Iwan stepped outside before he opened the piece of folded paper. It was a short message, nothing too special.

 _As sweet as my sisters intentions are, I have no desire to settle down yet. However, I would like to get to know you better. Don't be afraid to write me soon._

 _Gabrielle_.

Iwan turned around and caught Gabrielle's eye. She gave him a small smile and cute wink before turning back to her sister and getting her jacket on. This could be interesting. Iwan smiled to himself and turned to walk to his friends' flat, just a few blocks away.


End file.
